operation damocles campaign

7/29/2019 operation damocles campaign

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C A M P A I G N B O O K


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No one escapes war!

War is raging on the factory world of Damocles. The White Stars may have shaken the Therian infrastructures,

but the overseers interest in the human invasion is growing.

The arrival of Red Blok ships and the Karman undercover operations combined to the failures within the Therian network,

the EMI grid, are causing the conict to escalate. The war is now entering

Phase 1 of Operation Damocles.

Discover in the following pages what Operation Damocles really is about. Find

out what all four armies are ghting for. Play with special rules and new equipment specic to the three phases of Damocles.


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Editorial DirectorJean BeyArtistic DirectorsPaolo Parente and Jean BeyStudio DirectorPhilippe ChartierEditorial Manager

Sbastien ClerinProduction ManagersRaphal Guiton, Guiglielmo Yau and Paolo ParenteDesigners - Writers Arnaud Cuidet, Collin Kelly, Jean-Baptiste Lullien and NicolasRaoult

TranslatorCollin KellyEdition secretaryRaphal GuitonGraphic Artist s

Matthias Haddad, Mathieu HarlautIllustratorsNicolas Fructus, Karl Kopinski, Florent Maudoux, Adrian Smith, Kevin Walker, Richard Wright, Alessia Zamboninand Paolo ParenteMiniature DesignersChippy Dugan, Wayne England, Davide Fabbri,douard Guiton, Paul Jeacock, Karl Kopinski, Adrian Smith and Paolo ParenteSculptorsMauro Gnani Zerbini, Juan Navarro Prez, Sebastien Labro andStphane Nguyen Van Gioi

Miniature Painters Valentin Boucher, Vincent Fontaine and Paolo Parente Terrain elements Vincent FontainePhotographerJean-Baptiste GuitonSpecial Thanks

Kenton Sheppard, Jon Finn, Grant Hill and Jez FairdoughThanks a lot guys! R.

The miniatures were created by RACKHAM. They are part of the AT-43 universe, a game publi shed by RACKHA M. AT-43, CRY HAVOC and RACKHA M areRACKHAM registered trademarks. Copyright 1996-2008 RACKHAM. All rights

reser ved. All the illus trati ons, photog raphs , miniat ures and names of miniat ures arecreations exclusively owned by RACKHAM. RACKHAM miniatures are not toys. It isdangerous to put them in your mouth or swallow them. RACKHAM miniatures are not

suita ble fo r chil dren under three years of age . AT-43 mi niatu res a re man ufactur ed inChina. AT-43 is a game published by RACKHAM.

RACKHAM 44, ru e de Lagny. 93100 MONT REUIL-SOUS-BO IS.

Tel: + 33. (0) 1.55 86 89 20. Fax: + 33. (0) 1.55 86 89 25

www.rackham.fr - www.at-43.com - www.rackham-store.com Copyright RACKHAM, 1996-2008. All rights reserved.LEGAL DEPOSIT: April 2008 ISBN: 978-2-915556-86-5

AT-43 is publ ished by Ra ckham S. A., a compa ny with capi tal of 321,589. 20 RCS Bobigny B 414 947 887

Legal representative: Jean Bey Printed in China.

DISCLAIMER

AT-43 is a work of fiction. It is a game.None of this ever occurred and, hopefully,

never will occur...

OperationDamocles

Credits

CREDITS


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INT RODUC TION .......................................................... 4

No one escapes war! ........................................................ 4 Ava daily Operation Damocles: The War Goes On! ........ 5

MAYHEM ON DAMOCLES! .................................. 8

Damocles before the arrival of mankind ............................ 8Operation Damocles: Phase I ........................................... 9

THE CL ASH OF ARMS .......................................... 10

The U.N.A. are getting ready ...........................................10 The wake of the Therians .................................................11 The Red Blok is coming! ..................................................12

Objectives of CERB 4 ......................................................13 The Karman Observation .................................................14

CAMPAIGN RULE S ................................................. 15

STORY MODE .................................................................17Experience ......................................................................17White Stars Decorations ..................................................18 Therian Optimization ........................................................19Red Blok Decorations ..................................................... 20Karman Decorations ........................................................21

OPERATION DAMOCL ES: PHASE 1 ..............22

WAR UNDER THE HEAVENS ...........................24

New Rules .......................................................................24New Equipment .............................................................. 25

PRIORITY MISSION 1:

TROUBLE ON THE TARMAC ............................26

PRIORITY MISSION 2:

FIRE IN THE HOLE! ................................................28

PRIORITY MISSION 3:

HOLDING T HE PR ODUCTION LINE ...............30

PRIORITY MISSION 4:

BACK T O SQUARE ONE ......................................32

OPERATION DAMOCLES : PHA SE 2 ...........34

DAMOCL ES LAID WASTE BY WAR! ............36

Babel .............................................................................. 36In The Mechanical Maze ................................................. 38

PRIORITY MISSION 1:

LOST! .............................................................................40

PRIORITY MISSION 2:

FOR BIDDEN DO WNLOA D .................................42

PRIORITY MISSION 3:

LABORATORY 51 ....................................................44

PRIORITY MISSION 4:

ACCES AUTHORIZED! .........................................46

OPERATION DAMOCLES: PHASE 3 ............48

THE HEART OF THE PROBL EM ....................50

Battle Report .................................................................. 50Exactly under the sun ......................................................51

PRIORITY MISSION 1:

EX TRACT ION ............................................................52

PRIORITY MISSION 2:

NANOCATACLYSM ................................................54

PRIORITY MISSION 3:

HOT HOT HOT! ..........................................................56

PRIORITY MISSION 4:

LOG OFF? ...................................................................58

COLONEL STARK & COPPERHEAD .............60

TABLE OF CONTENTS


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OperationDamocles

NO ONE ESCAPES WAR!

The operation details the U.N. offensive to reach the core of the factory world, the Therian resistance and the arrival of theRed Blok and the Karmans. The fighting will be fierce.

This campaign uses the rules from AT-43: The Rulebook and the Army Books.

To stage these battles and give them a twist, Operation Da-

mocles describes new missions as well as new special rules. This campaign is divided into three phases, one for each levelof the factory world. Each of these phases will be described ina separate chapter. In this way, you will discover new missionsand new rules as you go. As the fighting gets closer and closerto the heart of Damocles and to the Therian habitat, the battleswill become more and more violent. Each phase is composedof four priority missions, covering the development of theoperation and the conditions on Damocles.

However, you can also take part in Operation Damocles byplaying any mission published for AT-43, even those from theprevious phases of the operation.

The priority missions do not require a specific number of A.P. It is up to you and your opponent to choose the companyvalue for each battle. (Of course, both players must have ac-cess to the same number of A.P.) When the mission requiresan attacker and/or a defender, the values of the assault andreinforcement units are different. The task forces table givesthe number of A.P. of each players assault units, the rest of itbeing the reinforcement units. Players may have to choose arole (attacker or defender) before determining their side of thebattlefield.

TASK FORCES

A.P. Attacker Defender

500-750 500 350

751-1000 750 500

1001-1500 1000 750

1501-2000 1500 1000

If you want to immerse yourself further in the universe of AT-43, you can use the Story mode. This mode will stage thebattle as if you were there.

It relies on narrative advice and optional rules. Throughoutthe chapters, you will find inserts providing information to usewhen playing in Story mode. Of course, both players musthave agreed to play in Story mode.

Introduction

INTRODUCTION

STORY MODE: THE MISSIONS

The priority missions have been specifically designedto be played in Story mode. They all have a number toindicate in which order they should be played. But playingsecondary missions is still possible: each phase will pointout the two most appropriate secondary missions, givingadvice to adapt them to Operation Damocles.

Finally, some priority missions are so important thatthey will have consequences that affect the whole phase,or even the operation itself. These consequences will befound in the Story mode inserts.


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OperationDamocles

MAYHEMON DAMOCLES!

For several months now, the White Stars have been fightingon the Therian factory world. The Red Blok landed soon af-ter. While limited Karman task forces were recently spotted onseveral occasions. Over the many battles and recon missions,they have realized what a terrifying machine Damocles truly is.On the other hand, their presence has upset the performanceof this factory world, dragging the war into a whirlpool of vio-lence!

DAMOCLES BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF MANKIND

Before the White Stars landed on Damocles, the Theriansled a peaceful life, although it may seem strange to an Avan. The inhabitants of Damocles, save for the Warriors, do not seetheir journey as a military maneuver at all, but rather like a res-cue mission or even a scientific expedition. From their point of view, the inhabitants of Ava are a lesser life form, barely sapi-ent, and obviously not a threat to them. Of course these primi-tive beings managed to drive back the first wave forty-threeyears ago, but the power of a whole factory world couldntpossibly be stopped or slowed down, even by a highly improb-able alliance between the U.N.A. and the Red Blok.

Many Therians have given up their military duties to indulgein their favorite pastimes or to carry out various personal ex-periments. On Damocles, they have abandoned their socialconventions as they became less relevant with the growingdistance from the rest of their society. The bandwidth alloca-tion was redistributed and some overseers gained extensiveaccess to the EMI grid. The most eccentric have started toexperiment with a new form of artificial intelligence and are try-ing to encourage the birth of a virtual gestalt, a consciousnessinside the EMI grid...

Operation Damocles: phase 0When the White Stars reached the orbit of Damocles and

landed on the surface, the Therian consensus did not stir.What could a few thousand life forms do against a whole fac-tory world powered by a white dwarf? Regrettably, it soon ap-peared that the bandwidth of the EMI grid dedicated to thedefense against these intrusions was not enough to providethe overseers with the means to fight the U.N.A. The latterquickly advanced inside the factory world, revealing its truenature. Surprised and maybe even frightened by the extent of the task lying before him, the Commander of the White Stars,General W. McBright, sent a request for reinforcements to thewar staff on Ava.

This human invasion was truly traumatic for the Therians. Their omnipotence was being challenged. But even then, theconsensus refused to increase the level of alert on Damocles. A handful of overseers, notably Urash, organized the armedforces of the factory world the best they could and launcheda proper counter-attack against the U.N.A. Along the courseof various counter offensives, landings and strategic retreats,Operation Damocles turned into ultra-technological guerrillawarfare. The human menace is under control from the con-sensus point of view, but the overseers on the frontline areinfuriated by the irrationality of the situation: Damocles hasmore than enough power to exterminate all the Avans withina day. Some overseers have been experimenting with the EMIgrid in secret. They are seeking to setup priority access forthemselves, hoping to get hold of enough power to unleashthe wrath of Damocles on the White Stars.

The White Stars have found out about the EMI grid. Dur-ing the early recon missions, they discovered the circuits,machines and cables that allow the overseers to physicallymanage the information flowing through the EMI grid. On sev-eral occasions, they managed to stop offensives and arrange

Mayhemon

Damocles


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ambushes by deactivating relays and connection nodes. Thetechnicians of the M.Ind participating in Operation Damocleshave even managed to engineer combat computers and expertsystems that can be connected to the EMI grid. Of course, thecomputer language, interface and Therian protocols used arestill beyond the Avans understanding; but with these make-shift devices, the U.N.A. are able to interfere to a certain extentwith the nanotechnological operations of the Therians.

A new life form? Torn between the Therian experiments and the human intru-

sions, the protocols of the EMI grid suffered quite a lot of stress.Slowly but steadily, the core processes have been degraded,generating errors throughout the system. The consensus firstbelieved it was the result of further human intrusions and noneof the appropriate decisions were taken. Even the Web Stridersdid not see what was going on, while in the meantime their ownexperiments were only accelerating the process. Soon an au-tonomous consciousness was born from the Therian databasesand cradled by the EMI grid.

However, this virtual and collective consciousness still lacksmaturity. As it was exploring the EMI grid, it triggered the defen-sive measures of the consensus. Startled by these attacks, itstruck back using its phenomenal computing power. The conflictbetween the two forces generated a global system error. Forseveral minutes the EMI grid was down and Damocles experi-enced a blackout.

When it rebooted, the consensus had lost control of sev-eral regions of Damocles. Many connection nodes and relaysare not answering requests and some routines are not workinganymore. The virtual consciousness has taken control of thesedead zones. There, in contact with expert systems, it built itself an identity and naturally came to name herself Babel.

The mistake of the consensus has deeply shaken the scien-tific certainties of the Therians as well as their social structure.Power struggles have appeared on Damocles. These conflictshave been spotted by the White Stars, who believe the Theriansare growing weak. The systems of Damocles are slowly failing,notably the propulsion system. The trajectory of the factory worldis changing, and it is not even sure to reach Ava anymore!

The reinforcements have arr ivedWhen the White Stars realized the chaos at the inner levels

of Damocles, new battle cruisers from Ava had reached theorbit of the factory world, shipping reinforcements and ma-teriel to support Operation Damocles. Unfortunately for Gen-eral W. McBright, Commander of Operation Damocles, thesecruisers also brought further problems: representatives fromthe federal government, civilian observers, generals from theother army corps, and so on.

The headquarters of Operation Damocles quickly becamea snake pit.

Despite it all, McBright set out to use these new troops toseize the opportunity while it lasted, as reinforcements werefinally coming in steadily. Therian defenses started to crumbleagain and the U.N.A. extended their influence over the fac-tory world. This further defeat gave the Therians a new senseof urgency. Although still divided, they managed to show acommon front to the humans just in time, while the Theriansinterest in war grew.

Caught between this renewed Therian activity and further

political issues, McBright realised that the operation was onthe brink of failure unless something was done immediately.He reorganized his troops and commenced phase 1 of Opera-tion Damocles.

OPERATION DAMOCLES:PHASE 1

With the launch of phase 1, the fighting picks up once moreon the factory world. In the corridors of Damocles dreadful bat-tles are taking place. Inside their own armies, factions are tear-ing each other apart. The orders from the various U.N. com-mands are contradictory and some of the people in charge arecarrying out unofficial missions in order to serve their personalpolitical ambitions. The Therians are on the verge of civil warand have themselves almost become strangers on Damocles,following the failures of the EMI grid. The faction, human o Therian, that will gain control of the planet will have the futurof Damocles in its hands!

As both armies take a worried look towards the future, fur-ther problems have appeared on the horizon: Red Blok shipsare heading for Damocles! Much to McBrights horror, they wilbe landing just before the operation really begins.

The political tension between the U.N.A. and the Red Blok makes it difficult to believe in a similar alliance as existed fortythree years ago. However, the Therians cannot rule out sucha possibility. For both sides, the best way to avoid disasterwould be to have Damocles under control before the collectiv-ist troops have outnumbered them.

And in war, when both sides believe they are losing, bothare correct... Not only is the Red Blok landing thousands of platoons; but Karman warriors have also appeared out of theblue. Another nasty surprise for White stars strategist. Eventhe Therians dont know what to think. They certainly didntinvite the apes to the dance.

THE PHASES

OF OPERATION DAMOCLES

Phase 0 of Operation Damocles corresponds to the lan-

ding of the White Stars and to the initial Therian reaction.While the steel troopers have found out how huge Damo-cles really is, the Therians re-discovered the meaning of war by fighting this primitive life form.

Phases 1, 2 and 3 of Operation Damocles correspondto the White Stars intrusions and to their offensive to-wards the inner levels of Damocles. General W. McBrightmust deal with the many political representatives hissingaround his staff, while the consensus is confronted withthe failures of the EMI grid. The Red Blok needs to getits troops organized to catch up on the White Stars headstart. Fortunately, for them, Karman combat groups havebeen harassing and hindering the other factions.


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OperationDamocles

War is a pretty complex and unpredictable enterprise. Eachside only has a limited and often flawed interpretation of its op-ponents situation. Theories are made, information is soughtbut the fog of war is never completely lifted. Thus the U.N.A.are far from realizing what is happening with the EMI grid, the Therians do not know that General W. McBrights staff is di-vided and the Red Blok is hiding its plans and the extent of its knowledge concerning Damocles from everyone. As for theKarmans, no one knows how many of them are on Damoclesand what they intend to do.

THE U.N.A. AREGETTING READY

When the first steel troopers set foot on the factory world,they were convinced that it was nothing but a recon mission,that Damocles was only an empty shell. Events showed themhow dangerous Damocles was for Ava and the U.N.A. To thisimmediate threat, they now have to add the Red Blok. Consid-ering President Archers policy, McBright cannot count on analliance. He must triumph now or find himself caught betweenthe hammer and the anvil!

The U.N.A. and the EMI gridWhen the Damocles report was handed in on Ava it de-

scribed the factory world as a gigantic spaceship, most prob-ably automated. The report came to the conclusion that thegenerators required to power such an object would leave noroom for any passengers. This reassuring theory was adopted

by the U.N. government. But, right from the first missions of Operation Damocles, the White Stars found out how bitterlywrong this hypothesis was.

In order to collect more information concerning the threat heis confronted with, McBright ordered two kinds of missions:reconnaissance of the inner levels and technological warfareoperations. Soon enough, EMI grid protocols gained the samemajor strategic importance as the hangars and factories of Damocles.

As a result of these missions, the White Stars figured out thefollowing points:

Damocles is occupied by automatic combat systems. They are not real Therians. If there really are any Therians liv-ing on Damocles, there has to be very few of them.

Damocles is powered by a star locked in its core. It is theonly possible theory to explain such energy.

Damocles is organised into layered levels, with the mostsensitive installations lying deepest under the surface.

Damocles is managed by a network of computers calledthe EMI grid. This network uses concepts and material beyondthe understanding of U.N. engineers for the time being...

Using these discoveries and the ingenuity of the steeltrooper mechanics, the White Stars are now able to hack intothe EMI grid to leech its functions and extract some informa-tion from it.

However, the White Stars have grasped neither the role theEMI grid plays in the social and political life of the Therians, northe full extent of the forces at the consensus disposal.GeneralMc Bright is still convinced that the low level of resistance of the morphos is due to a low number of fighters on Damocles.

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THE CLASH OF ARMS


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Mission orders To McBright, it is now obvious

that the Damocles threat will not beneutralized within the few weeks of fighting initially planned. When herequested reinforcement, he alsoasked for Damocles to be declared amilitary region and to be designatedCommander in chief. All his requestswere accepted. Despite the pres-ence of political representatives andhigh ranking officers from other armycorps, General W. McBright is thesupreme U.N. authority on Damoclesand within its orbit. The old generalhas a lot on his hands, with expertsfrom the M.Ind, CentCom officersand representatives from Union whoare all seeking to cash in on the ben-efits of a victory on Damocles. Each

faction uses its influence to organizemissions that serve their political am-bitions. Fortunately, McBright can relyon some competent officers such asColonel Stark, Captain Newton andSergeant Borz.

Besides, he is the one deciding the objectives of each mis-sion, with regard to the operations priorities: they must stopDamocles and if possible cannibalize its technology. Thus, thenext phases must:

Allow the U.N.A. to reach the heart of Damocles. Allow the U.N.A. to gain control of the EMI grid or else

destroy it, thus neutralizing Damocles.

These objectives have to be carried out as soon as pos-sible; McBright does not want to get caught between the RedBlok, the Therians and the Karmans!

THE WAKEOF THE THERIANS

The continued presence of the White Stars on Damoclesconstitutes a deeply upsetting event for Therian civilization:it simply should not be possible! The beginning of phase 1is forcing quite a few Therians to show some interest in war.If the news of the U.N.A.s victory was to spread across thegalaxy, it would change the balance of power in the universe. AT-43 is a fateful date for the Therians... and the entire galaxy.

This is why the consensus of Damocles is particularly watch-ful of any incoming ship. Its first observations indicate that thefleet they spotted comes from Ava, but the Therians have de-cided to watch them with almost paranoid fervor: if these shipswere to be those of another civilization, there would be a risk

that they would tell the galaxy about what the overseers of Damocles consider a shameful defeat.

Unfortunatly, they still cannot explain the regular spotting ofKarmans. According to the EMI grid no Karman spaceship hasapproached Damocles. Their prescence is absurd and there-fore ignored

Of Therians and men The EMI grid databases contain huge quantities of informa-

tion concerning humans. Even before the Antarctica cam-paign, the Therians were already extremely well informed.Great amounts of biological, technological and cultural dataare stored in the archives of Damocles. Despite all this knowl-edge, the White Stars keep surprising the consensus, just likeforty-three years ago. Some eccentric overseers like Urashhave come to the conclusion that the human species, in orderto compensate for its low intellect, has developed an instinctand a talent for adaptation, making it highly unpredictable.

The Therians have problems understanding how much theU.N.A. and the Red Blok have evolved since AT-0. They aresurprised to see how easily the Avans have recycled Theriantechnology. However, the Therians, who are used to com-municating at the speed of though, are unable to assess thepolitical problems General W. McBright is confronted with andthe dissension on Ava.

No matter what, the Therians now consider mankind boththe U.N.A. and the Red Blok as an opponent worthy of them. The various Therian factions are finally joining forces. But thaftermath of Babel is a major drawback.


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OperationDamocles

System errorOn Damocles, the Therians are confronted with two prob-

lems: the rise of Babel and the presence of the White Stars.From the point of view of the consensus, it is Babel who repre-sents the greatest danger, not only because she is endanger-ing the foundation of Therian society, the EMI grid, but alsobecause this bug is generating other problems: the differentfactions of the consensus are divided on the question and theirverbal jousting sometimes results in real battles. Because of the presence of the U.N.A. the prospect of mass battle seemscompletely irrational and extremely dangerous. Unfortunately,the consensus doesnt have enough control over the EMI gridto stop such madness. The Web Striders have revealed theirexistence and are attempting to overthrow the consensus. TheCyphers are opposed to this and the Warriors will side with thefaction most in favor of general mobilization.

The second anomaly, the human presence, is making thefirst worse: in their race to reach the inner levels, the U.N. forc-es are deactivating ever more connection nodes, adding to theerratic performance of the EMI grid. No one can predict thedamage that will be generated by the Red Bloks arrival.

In order to deal with it the consensus has turned to the over-seers who are most familiar with the human threat: Urash, Atis-Astarte and the omega Tiamat, giving them the two fol-lowing missions:

To prevent the White Stars from getting any deeper intothe inner levels.

To reach the failing connection nodes and to regain controlof the EMI grid.

Once this is done, the consensus will be able to silence dis-sensions, fight Babel, deal with the humans, finally put Da-mocles back on-track.

THE RED BLOK IS COMING!

The Red Blok task force, CERB 4, has finally reached itsdestination and now orbits around Damocles!

CERB 4 This bland administrative code name is really thegigantic force sent by the Red Blok to Damocles. Receivingorders directly from Supra, Marshal Georgy Zhukov leads histroops into the greatest battle the Red Blok has ever fought

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since the Antarctica campaign. The CERB 4 fleet numbersdozens of ships, including the KKRF 78 Sierp I Molot, thefleets flagship and finest battlecruiser. Aboard these shipstens of thousands of Red Blok soldiers are waiting: krasnysoldati and kommandos, but also powerful Kossak combatstriders and many kolossus, the dreaded battlesuits of theRevolutionary forces.

Marshal Georgy Zhukov has been given only one order: de-stroy Damocles! The Therians must be stopped at all costs andthe U.N.A. must not get hold of the technology of the factoryworld. To accomplish this mission, considered impossible bymost military experts, Marshal Zhukov can rely on the greatestheroes of the Red Blok: Captain Pavel Vrachov and Sergeant Anastasiya Tymofiyeva. Supra has even entrusted him with thegreatest achievements of the motherlands genetic researchprograms, Colonel Odin O-1 and Colonel Manon O-2

Condential reportfrom RedInt/ Damocles

The presence of RedInt (see Army Book: Red Blok ) inside

the U.N.A. gives the Red Blok a relatively good overall viewof White Stars activity. The collectivist machine has deployedimmeasurable resources, sending spies in great numbers, nothesitating to sacrifice many of them to let the enemy believethe Red Bloks plans had been thwarted.

The Red Blok has no equivalent to the Sentinel network and therefore was unable to spot the Therian factory worldsarrival. However, through its network of spies, it found outabout the factory worlds existence around the same time asthe U.N. General Staff. Apart from the most technical details,RedInt believes it knows everything the U.N.A. know aboutDamocles.

RedInt has also found out about the secrets behind Opera-tion Damocles. The fact that this operation was organized inutmost secrecy is not comforting at all. The U.N.A. objectivesare now well known: the capitalist forces were issued ordersto invade Damocles, study it, collect as many scientific secretsas possible and, if it could be done, gain control of Damoclesin order to use it.

The Red Blok believes these objectives simply cannot beachieved. The reckless blindness of the U.N.A. is endangering Ava and risks bringing about the fall of all human civilizations The confidence of the White Stars is another subject to worryabout. The reason they are so positive they will pull it off isprobably because they have something up their sleeve. Andif they do, what are the U.N.A. planning to do with Damoclesonce in control of it? Probably nothing good from a Red Blok point of view. The White Stars must not be given the slightestchance to fulfill their dreams of conquest. Something must bedone!

OBJECTIVES OF CERB 4

The Red Blok has not forgotten the lessons learned from the Antarctica campaign, in BT-0: the U.N.A. taught them a brutallesson in how to reap the spoils of victory by spilling the bloodof its allies. This time the situation is reversed. The Revolutionary Forces have let the White Stars deal with the shock of thelanding and let them take the losses as they try to secure solidbridgeheads, attracting all Therian attention. All there is left fothe Red Blok to do is land with fresh troops and heavy mate-riel. The better prepared Revolutionary Forces are supported bytheir greatest war heroes. Captain Vrachov and sergeant Tymo-

fiyeva are leading their respective companies, whilethe terrifying pair of colonels Odin O-1 and ManonO-2 has even been mobilized to ensure the successof the operation. The Red Blok has foreseen anyeventuality. Even if they have planned a lightning war,they have deployed enough troops for an extendedcampaign. They have assembled a powerful spacefleet to escort them, just in case the Therians were todecide to take the fighting into space.

The objective of CERB 4 is to reach the core of thefactory world in order to blow it up or at least dam-age it enough to render the planetoid inoperative. Toachieve this goal several plans have been devised.First, the infantry troops will try to infiltrate deep inside and find a way to force the collapse of the shellenclosing the star. Should this strategy fail, everycompany has demolition teams whose job will thenbe to do as much damage as possible. Finally, as alast resort, the foremost units will be issued ordersto guide the battlecruisers fire, in order to pierce thefactory worlds shell to strike at its heart and blowit up. CERB 4 would then probably be destroyed inthe explosion; the Red Blok sees this as its ultimatesolution.


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OperationDamocles

THE KARMAN OBSERVATION

It didnt take long before the Karmans discovered the conflictbrewing on Damocles. The situation was unseen before andattracted the interest of all the Karman factions. Never had sucha technologically underdeveloped people dared attack the allmighty Therians. The success of the attack was even more sur-prising. The Karmans had to study this phenomenon and manystealthy observers were sent towards the factory world.

Training ground At first the Karmans made sure they kept

their distances. They did not want to getinvolved in the conflict. In fact, it seemedlike the Therians werent willing to summonthem anyway. The first scouting compa-nies sent to Damocles tried as much aspossible to avoid the battlezones.

Unfortunately, all their precautionswerent enough. Some scouts got unwill-ingly caught in the first White Stars waveof attacks. Unprepared for battle, theseencouters didnt turn to the Karmans ad-vantage: caught in the zone of fire, theywere often outpowered and out num-bered. Some scouts were even capturedby officers seeking to find out where theKarmans stood in the war ahead. Rescuemissions had to be organized to save theprisoners.

The Karman expert raiders launchedlightning attacks saving several Karman ob-servers from the U.N.A. and the Red Blok.Unfortunately, none of the Karmans cap-tured by the Therians could be recovered.

They had been dragged to the deepestlayers of Damocles. The rest had been ex-ecuted, purely and simply. It soon becameobvious that the Therians had decided thatthere werent going to be any Karmans onDamocles. They were correcting realityto suit what they believedThey moved todelete all the Karmans they could lay theirhand on.

One thing leading to another, part of the observers got more involved than theyshould have. Eventually, they found them-selves taking an active part in the fighting.Some were just unlucky scouts. However,others had in fact come to settle a grudge.

The sages of Karma tried to end theseexpeditions, but their voices were ignoredby the hotheads who had organized them-selves in scouting companies. Meanwhilethe Therian overseers feigned to ignore the

Karman implication. The White Stars andthe revolutionary forces concentrated their efforts on the The-rians. This only made the Karmans bolder.

Drunk on rage, the scouts of Libra and Nova, who hadbeen the first to land on Damocles, set out to reach the en-trails of Damocles to avenge their fallen comrades.

Flux provided many new observers who percieved Da-mocles a massive training ground. The reckless youngerKarmans even saw these expeditions as a game. On thefactory world, a warrior could find trials worthy of the mostdemanding Karma.

Theclashofarms


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The Operation Damocles campaign uses special rules toreproduce the special nature of these battles. The rules pre-sented here apply to all the missions of phases 1, 2 and 3of Operation Damocles. They will be complemented by rulesdedicated to each phase.

EquipmentOn Damocles technology is the most powerful weapon

available. In preparation for the terrible fighting awaiting themon Damocles, each army has brought out of its arsenal newinventions to cause ever more losses to the opposing side.

These equipment options can be given to the relevant units. They are bought for each member concerned and their cost,in brackets, must be paid as many times as there are fightersconcerned in the unit.

U.N.A. VHF Commo (5 A.P.): This high-tech radio allows the White

Stars units to communicate easily with less interference. Thisway the officers are made even more efficient. A unit whosemembers are all equipped with a VHF commo generates oneextra LP during the activation phase.

Ther iansImproved articulations (5 A.P.): The corridors of Damocles

are particularly narrow and with the failures of Damocles, theycan no longer be widened. To avoid this problem, a golgothsarticulations can be modified.

With this equipment, once per round a golgoth may passthrough any door or opening on the AT-43 poster. However, itdoes not allow it to stand in a corridor too narrow for its base.

Red Blok The ARC has requested special equipment from Supra. Su-

pra has ordered Frontline to provide blueprints and a produc-tion plan. Frontline has made an official statement that it couldnot start designing a production plan before Supra told themwhich local collectives would be in charge of production. Towhich Supra has answered just as officially that it could notlaunch the administrative process of detaching a collectiveuntil Frontline handed in the previously resquested produc-tion plan. The ARC finally decided it would do without speciaequipment.

CAMPAIGN RULES


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OperationDamocles

Karman

Flux combat pills (5 P.A.): The Karmans training on Da-mocles are handed combat pills by Flux. These pills give theKarmans who eat them an extra energy boost. Infantry fightersequipped with Flux combat pills gain the Blitz ability. Unitswith this ability have the following advantages:

Their Movement is increased by 10 for their first round onthe battlefield;

They may act normally when they arrive in reinforcementvia a drop point.

Morale The factory world is a purely artificial construction, designed

to satisfy any of the Therians caprices. This is why they feel socomfortable there. On the other hand, things are completelydifferent for other armies. The uncanny factories and the weird Therian habitats are so disturbing that they are almost terrify-ing.

During phases 2 and 3 of Operation Damocles, the levelswhere the battles are fought alter the troops Morale . At level-1, their Morale goes down one point and at level -2 it goesdown two points. Fighters that do not have Morale values arenot affected by this rule.

TerrainOn Damocles, all the machinery is linked to the EMI grid,

and most of the constructions are built from smart materialsand nanomachines. A single computer instruction can open adoor in a wall, erase a construction or transform an armamentfactory into an amusement park. Unfortunately, with the failingEMI grid and the rise of Babel, the nanomachines behavior hasgrown erratic.

Before the players choose their side of thetable, each one of them, beginning with theyoungest, can pick a terrain element on thebattlefield. It is possible to pick two low wallsas long as they are adjacent. The template iscentered on this terrain element. The playerfirst rolls one die to determine the direction of the dispersion, then two dice to determine thedistance in cm (up to a maximum of 10 cm). The terrain element is then moved to the cor-responding location. If it is not possible, theelement stays where it is.

This rule does not affect terrain elementsshowing the emblem of an army or a factionother than Therian.

The rou tinesDespite the problems they have been en-

countering, the Therians are still partially in con-trol of Damocles. When they are close enough,

they can still control the nanomachines thatmake up most structures of the factory world. This gives them access to two new infantryroutines. (See AT-43: The Rulebook).

Reconfiguration (2 LP): The Therian player can destroy alow wall on which one of the fighters of the unit has a line of sight. The low walls destroyed this way are removed from thebattlefield but kept at hand. During a later activation of a unitled by an overseer, the Therian player can place one of theselow walls on the battlefield for 2 LP. The low wall can be placedanywhere as long as at least one of the units members cansee it.

Activation (2 LP): When he activates a unit led by an over-seer, the Therian player can transform any nanogeneratorcontrolled by a unit into a drop point. This routine remains ac-tive till the time out phase.

Campaignrules


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EXPERIENCE

During Operation Damocles, the best soldiers are sent to join new fighting units in order for the young guns to benefitfrom their elders experience. Over the course of many battles,each side learns more about their opponents and the terrainthey are fighting on. These developments are simulated by ex-perience rules.

At the end of each game each player gets an experience bo-nus for every 10 VP earned. Each bonus can be given to a unitstill on the battlefield at the time of the cease fire. If the playerscan remember a feat performed by the unit then the bonusit gains corresponds to this feat (see below). Otherwise, theexperience bonuses for each army are numbered from 1 to 6:the player then rolls a die and the unit gains the correspond-ing bonus. A unit cannot be given the same bonus twice. Thedie should be rolled again until it indicates a bonus the unitdoesnt already have. The same unit can be given several ex-perience bonuses after a game.

During a mission involving experienced units each playermust point them out and explain the bonuses they have. Aslong as at least one of the units fighters is still in the gameat the end of the mission, the unit is considered as havingsurvived and keeps its bonuses for the next game. Of course,this unit can be given new bonuses if its still on the battlefield. The units new recruits benefit from the advice of the moreexperienced fighters.

The Therian bonuses are optimizations and the other armiesreceive military decorations. They are both described in thesame way:

The first paragraph describes the meaning of this bonus inthe universe of AT-43.

The Feat paragraph explains the feat of arms corre-sponding to this bonus. It can be accomplished during anygame round.

The Effect paragraph describes the game effects of thisbonus.

STORY MODE


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OperationDamocles

WHITE STARS DECORATIONS

Military decorations are often more than simple rewards. Inthe eyes of the soldiers they represent an ideal of valor that allthe White Stars must try to achieve. Decorations comfort thosesoldiers shaken by the war and give the others the strengthto surpass themselves in combat. Decorations have such animportant place in building the White Stars spirit that soldiersinvent all sorts of unofficial decorations to congratulate thosewho have survived the hell of war.

White Stars Medal of Honor The White Stars Medal of Hon-

or is one of the most prestigiousU.N. decorations. The units thatreceive it have shown particularlymeritorious conduct in combatand have demonstrated the ex-tent of their attachment to U.N.

values.Feat: The unit rolled a suc-cessful Morale test.

Effect: The unit can re-rolleach of its Morale tests.

White Stars DistinguishedService Medal

The White Stars DistinguishedService Medal rewards disci-plined units and born leaders. The units who receive it are ca-pable of carrying out orders evenin the worst possible conditions.Officers are extremely proud tocommand such soldiers.

Feat: The unit has been giv-en multiple combat drills in thesame round.

Effect: The unit generates1 extra LP during the tacticalphase.

White StarsMarksmanship Medal

White Stars decorationsare there not only to rewardbravery but also martialachievements. The WhiteStars Marksmanship Medalis one of the most gratifyingdecorations for U.N. soldiers,since ranged weapons arethe spearhead of modernwarfare.

The units that receive thismedal are particularly deadlyon the battlefield.

Feat: The unit rolled at leastone on a shooting test.

Effect: The Re-roll value of the units range weapons is in-creased by 1 point. This effect can only be used once perround and per weapon.

Big Gun Medal The ability to inflict heavy

damage on the enemy is aquality sought by soldiers,even if it sometimes generatessome regrettable collateraldamage.

The explosions caused bysoldiers are often the subjectof jokes once back at base. The Big Gun Medal is an un-official decoration for the mostdestructive... or dangeroussoldiers!

Feat: The unit rolled at leastone on a damage test.

Effect: The unit can re-roll all the misses of a damage testcaused by one salvo, once per round.

Blood Star MedalClose-quarter combat is

one of the most dangerousforms of engagement in mod-ern warfare. At this distance,every weapon becomes lethaland close combat requiresa lot of nerve. Created dur-ing Operation Sycamore, theBlood Star Medal is awardedto units that do not step downin the face of the enemy.

Feat: The unit rolled at leastone on a combat test.

Effect: The Re-roll value of the units mle weapons is in-creased by 1 point. This effect can only be used once perround and per weapon.

Storymode

REINFORCEMENT!

The U.N. task force sent to Damocles is not inexhaus-tible. The Therians cannot waste their troops either, sinceit takes time and EMI grid bandwidth to build new combatsystems. Faced with these issues, commanding officersand overseers would rather preserve their forces to com-mit them to a more decisive battle. This strategy mightseem quite hazardous, but sometimes victory comes atthis price.

At the end of the game, any remaining RP are saved.For the following mission they may be used once thecompany has earned at least 50 RP


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Daredevil specialWar sometimes requires

soldiers to take some com-pletely unconsidered risks.Rather than play the actionhero, these bold soldierschoose to laugh about it in-stead once the battle is over. These anecdotes, moving oramusing, were the reasonbehind the creation of thisunofficial decoration. TheDaredevil Special rewards

soldiers who are not afraid to run through the battlefield whilethe world around them is being blasted to pieces.

Feat: The unit is within 10 cm of an opponent access ordeployment zone at the end of the game.

Effect: The unit can shoot with its weapons even when itperforms a rush movement.

THERIAN OPTIMIZATION

The building patterns of the various Therian combat sys-tems have been tested and improved by centuries of war andsimulations. However, each overseer enjoys tuning his fighters.Each Therian battle is subject to various constraints; a mecha-nism perfectly adapted to a specific conflict will be completelyinefficient on another battlefield. Overseers fine-tune their op-timizations according to the performances recorded by theircombat systems.

Death mask The members of this unit receive a different appearance from

the standard model. Some golgoths are painted red and thegolems faces display eerie or frightening attitudes. In combat,these alterations can be devastating for the enemys morale.

Feat: During a game, the unit has caused the opponent toroll a Morale test.

Effect: When the unit engages an opponent unit, the lattermust roll a Morale test.

Instruction editorNew software is loaded into the units nanotransmitters. This

optimization allows combat systems to manage more instruc-tions and to sort them according to priority.

Feat: The unit has been given multiple combat drills duringthe same round.

Effect: The unit generates 1 extra LP during the tacticalphase.

Aimbot 2.0 The circuits of the computers in charge of ballistic calcu-

lation are replaced by more efficient versions. The responsetime is improved as well as the accuracy of the movementsexecuted by the combat system.

Feat: The unit rolled at least one on a shooting test.


Penetration bot 2.0 The units weapons are equipped with armor-piercing nano-

munition projectors. However, these are not weapons them-selves but they are used in combination with them to weakenthe opponents armor, to increase the probability of inflictingdamage.

Feat: The unit rolled at least one on a damage test.Effect: The unit can re-roll all the misses of a damage test

caused by one salvo, once per round.

Improved combat modNew patterns of combat moves have been programmed and

added to the units close combat systems. Thanks to theseexclusive hand-to-hand combat tactics the unit can performmore destructive attacks.

Feat: The unit rolled at least one on a combat test.

Effect: The Re-roll value of the units melee weapons is in-creased by 1 point. This effect can only be used once perround and per weapon.

Weapon stabilizer The units shooting protocols have been modified and their

armament has been equipped with gyrostabilizers. Thesemodifications allow the combat systems to fire even whenmoving at high speed.

Feat: The unit is within 10 cm of an opponents access ordeployment zone at the end of the game.

Effect: The unit can shoot with its weapons even when itperforms a rush movement.


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OperationDamocles

RED BLOK DECORATIONS

Red Blok military decorations are objects of pride both forthose who wear them and for their families. They are symbolsof the collectivist soldiers self-sacrifice, courage and spirit onthe field of honor.

The Heart of the PatriotsRed Blok soldiers defy

death in the name of col-lectivist ideals. Those whoovercome the horror andfear of battle receive theHeart of the Patriots as atoken of their courage. Thepeople of the Red Blok take particular care of theheroes who have earnedthe right to wear it.

Feat: The unit rolled a successful Morale test.Effect: The unit can re-roll each of its Morale tests.

The Hammer of the RevolutionRed Blok officers are al-

ways glad to see soldierswearing the Hammer of theRevolution. They know theywill be able to rely on them toobey orders and show someinitiative when necessary.Wearing this medal is a goodomen for those who wish tohave a career in the army.

Feat: The unit has been given multiple combat drills in thesame round.


The Eagle EyeRed Blok weapons are

known for their durabilityrather than their accuracy.So when a soldier showssome real shooting skillshe is often admired by hiscomrades and his superi-ors. He is then nicknamedEagle Eye and receives amedal that secures him agood seat around the din-ner table.

Feat: The unit rolled at least one on a shooting test.Effect: The Re-roll value of the units range weapons is in-

creased by 1 point. This effect can only be used once perround and per weapon.

The Scythe of Hades The Scythe of Hades

rewards those who in-flict the most losses tothe enemy. These sol-diers whose burningdetermination is fuelledby revenge are notori-ous for never showingany mercy. The soldiersof Hades are known forpassing down this med-

al from father to son, or from instructor to trainee.Feat: The unit rolled at least one on a damage test.Effect: The unit can re-roll all the failures of a damage test


The Red Wolf The red wolf living in

the forests of Frontline is a

majestic predator. Receiv-ing a medal representingit means entering a pres-tigious brotherhood. Itsmembers will salute eachother on the battlefield,showing sincere respect nomatter their rank. They evensometimes organize closecombat duels. The spets-

natz often take great risks to obtain this decoration.Feat: The unit rolled at least one on a combat test.Effect: The Re-roll value of the units mle weapons is in-

creased by 1 point. This effect can only be used once perround and per weapon.

The Wings of Steel The Red Blok

would not existwithout the braveand bold individu-als who sacrificedtheir lives to repelthe U.N.A. TheWings of Steel is amedal that rewardssoldiers who stop

at nothing to drag the enemy out of its lair.Feat: The unit is within 10 cm of an opponents access or

deployment zone at the end of the game.Effect: The unit can shoot even when it performs a rush

movement.

Storymode


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KARMAN DECORATIONS

Karman decorations are not really military rewards. They aretokens of respect owed to the wisdom and perspicacity a Kar-man has shown in combat. Rather milestones of a military car-reer, they measure an initiatic journey, each decorations beinga step closer to the gates of the awakening.

Invulnerable courage As in war, the quest for

karma requests of thosewho engage in it to showunwavering morale. TheKarmans who show par-ticular valiance receiveInvulnerable courage,the symbol of those whostand up to any challenge!

Feat: The unit sufferedlosses but survived the

mission.Effect: The unit can re-roll each of its Morale tests.

Shining disciplineRigor is an essential

quality for a sage and awarrior. To Karmans, or-ders issued by superiorsare just as important as thelessons of their philosophy. Those among them capa-ble of keeping their nervewhen others would havesnapped receive Shiningdiscipline.

Feat: The unit has been given multiple combat drills in thesame round.


Unfailing vigilanceIn a Karmans mind, it is im-

possible to reach the awaken-ning without listening to onesenvironment and to those wholive in it. Out on a mission, itmeans you need to be con-stantly prepared for combatso you never miss your target. Those capable of such exacti-tude receive Unfailing vigilance.

Feat: The unit rolled at leastone on a shooting test.


Righteous anger Those who have met

the Karmans hardlyunderstand how theycombine martial enga-ment and philosophicalawakening. However tothe Karmans, both areclosely connected. Theanger and fury demon-strated by warriors aresane moral values whenthey serve a reasonablecause. When a warrior

shows such anger, he receives Righteous anger.Feat: The unit rolled at least one on a damage test.Effect: The unit can re-roll all the failures of a damage test


Staunch resolution

The last steps on the kar-mic path is like the last mo-ments of an assault: testing.Hand to hand combat andthe last days in a sages lifeare nerve racking and ex-hausting. To overcome thischallenge, staunch resolu-tion is required.

Feat: The unit rolled atleast one on a combattest.

Effect: The Re-roll value of the units mle weapons is in-creased by 1 point. This effect can only be used once perround and per weapon.

Salutary fearlessnessReaching the awak-

ening is an act of faith. To make the quantumleap, one needs to losehis fear the way he doeswhen assailing enemypositions. Karmans whoare ready to lose it all,forget it all, abandon itall to reach their goalreceive Salutary fear-lessness, symbol of their

courage and detachment.Feat: The unit is within 10 cm of an opponents access or

deployment zone at the end of the game.Effect: The unit can shoot even when it performs a rush

movement.


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OPERATION DAMOCLES :

P h a s e 1


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OpeaonDamoces

Phase 1 is played out in the open. Level 0 of the factoryworld features many access points to the lower levels. Captur-ing and holding an access point is certainly not easy, but it iscrucial to take the conflict to the heart of Damocles!

The following rules only apply to Phase 1 of Operation Da-mocles.

NEW RULES

Rules specific to an army also apply to this armys factions.

General rule

Cosmic hazards The surface of Damocles is exposed to the hazards of

space. The youngest player rolls a die at the beginning of eachround, before calculating LP:

to : Nothing happens; : Magnetic disturbances; : Meteor shower.

Magnetic disturbancesDuring this round, LP can only be used to activate units.

Meteor shower A meteor shower immediately rains upon the unit with the

fighter closest to the center of the battlefield. The meteorshower is resolved like an artillery strike. Its characteristics arethe same as a Red Blok artillery strike. The template is initiallyplaced on the fighter closest to the center of the battlefield. If several units have a fighter closest to the center of the battle-field the players should randomly determine which of theseunits is hit by the shower.

Artil lery strikeU.N., Karman and Red Blok companies whose strategic val-

ue is equal to or higher than 1000 A.P. can use artillery strikes(see AT-43: The Rulebook , p.61).

ARTILLERY STRIKE

Army

U.N.A. 3+ 5/0 2 9/1

Red Block 5 + 8/0 3 8/1

Karman 4+ 6/0 2 9/1

U.N.A.

Reinforcement! At level 0, U.N. companies are close to their rear supply

base. Each U.N. player gets an extra 100 RP during each con-trol phase.

UNSS BattleaxeDuring army building, any U.N.

player can request the orbitalsupport of the UNSS Battleaxefor 350 A.P. The player adds the

cruisers card to his activationsequence (or with the reinforce-ment unit cards), just as if theUNSS Battleaxe was a unit. Theactivation of this card costs 1 LPand triggers an orbital gun blast.

This is a locked shot.It is not possible to use an artil-

lery strike in the same round. The UNSS Battleaxe is not a unit.

ORBITAL STRIKE

UNSS Battleaxe 3+ 3/0 - 17/1

Ther ians

Hyperlink antenna The hyperlink antennas scat-

tered all over the surface of thefactory world connect the The-rians to Thera, their world of origin. During company building,

any Therian player can take a hy-perlink antenna for 50 A.P. Thecard for this device, is placed onthe battlefield at the same timeas the Therian Commander andwithin 15 cm of him. It is a tacti-cal position any player can con-trol. The player who controls thehyperlink antenna can switch it on (front) or off (back) at will.

During the tactical phase, the player who paid for the hyperlink antenna gets an extra 3 LP when the antenna is switched on.

WAR UNDER THE HEAVENS


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Red Blok

PropagandaMany political com-

missars of Propa-ganda, the agency incharge of ensuring thecollectivists loyalty,can be found aboardCERB 4.

They keep an eyeon the troops actionsand are there to sup-

press any antipatriotic behavior. If their roving eye has little im-pact on strider pilots, hidden inside their cockpits, it is quiteeffective on the infantry units!

During company building, any Red Blok player can call uponPropaganda for 150 A.P. The player then adds the agencyscard to his activation sequence each round. Activating thiscard costs 1 LP.

When this card is activated, the player points out one of his infantry units on the battlefield. He activates it immediately,as if he had revealed the card corresponding to a unit (andspends 1 LP if required). The unit affected will have been infact activated twice.

Reinforcement! At level 0, Red Blok companies are close to their rear supply

base. Each Red Blok player gets an extra 100 RP during eachcontrol phase.

Space supremacy The CERB 4 fleet is heavily armed for space combat, in

contrast to the U.N. fleet. The revolutionary fleet was issuedorders to engage in combat as often as possible.

The U.N. f leet is therefore forced to retreat to avoid jeopar-dizing Operation Damocles.

When a Red Blok company battles against a U.N. company,the latter cannot use the UNSS Battleaxe.

KarmanKarmic bullet time:

Time is an illusion. A trick of the mind. TheKarmans know it. Thegreat sages on Karmakeep a karmic eye onthe young. When theyfocus they are ableto warp the wheelof time. The enemy

barely feels a tickle, but the Karmans gain several preciousseconds. Enough to take the edge. The difference betweenlife and death. During company building, any Karman playercan call Karmic bullet time for 100 A.P. The player then addsthe card to his activation sequence each round. Activating thiscard costs 1 LP.

When this card is revealed, The player can move all his units5 cm.

Reinforcement! At level 0, Karman companies are close to their rear supply

base. Each Karman player gets an extra 100 RP during eachcontrol phase.

NEW EQUIPMENT

Smoke grenades (U.N.A., Karmans,and Red Blok only)

The U.N.A., the Karmans and the Red Blok sometimes givesmoke grenades to their vanguard to mark out drop-zones.

The grenades of any U.N., Karman or Red Blok infantry unitcan be replaced with smoke grenades, for the same strategicvalue.

The players reserve units can enter the battlefield within 10

cm of any miniature of a unit equipped with smoke grenades. The unit obeys the same rules as if they entered through a

drop point.

Space coating(1 A.P.; Therians only)

Therian fighters that evolve on the surface of Damocles areoften coated with an extra layer of armor meant to protectthem from cosmic radiation.

Any Therian unit can be equipped with space coating for +1 A.P. per fighter. The units equipped are not affected by meteorshowers.

STORY MODE:

SECONDARY MISSIONS

Mission: Hold the position ( AT-43: The Rulebook , p.90): The different spaceports on Damocles are not leftdefenseless. They are surrounded by fortifications inten-ded to slow down and block enemy attacks. This missionstages the battles taking place around these spaceports.

The defending player during this mission will also be indefense during mission 1: Trouble on the tarmac.

Mission: Landing ( AT-43: The Rulebook , p. 92): TheRed Blok and the Karmans are landing! This mission isideal if one of the two players is leading a Red Blok ora Karman company. He will then be the attacker for thisscenario.


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Spaceports are some of the most important strategic pointson the industrial surface of Damocles. The U.N.A. and the Red Blok use them to drop off troops and materiel. The Therians

have also built infrastructures to quickly transfer troops to the surface, to avoid having to use the shafts found at level -1 since they were lost to chaos.

These spaceports are generally makeshift installations, their landing pads being the only durable elements. The rest of it is an awkward assemblage of temporary fortifications and empty containers whose content are immediately sent to the

battlefield. These areas are not only strategic points but alsocommunication nodes. Ships land and take off at all times. It is

not unusual to see two companies of the same army exchangefire to clear the tarmac for a ship desperately waiting to land to refuel

Forces availableEach player has the same number of A.P. to build his

company. One company is chosen to be the defender; it willhold the spaceport at the beginning of the mission. The othercompany is the attacker, its mission is to take control of thespaceport.

Attackers access zone

Defenders deployment zone

Drop point X-Ray (pad)

Drop point Yoke (pad)

Drop point Zebra

Container (x 5)

Container with two low walls on top (x 2)

Nanogenerator (x 4)

Low wall (x 8)

PRIORITY MISSION 1 TROUBLE ON THE TARMAC


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Tact ical positionsSee the map.

Primary objectives Controlling point X-Ray: 2 VP Controlling point Yoke: 2 VP

Secondary objectives

Capturing a Nanogenerator: 50 RP* Controlling a Nanogenerator: 100 RP Capturing a container: 25 RP* Controlling a container: 50 RP* Attacker only.

Special rules This mission uses all the special rules for Opera-

tion Damocles detailed in the New rules sectionsof the campaign rules and of Phase 1.

The defenders fighters can be deployed on thecontainers located in the deployment zone.

Cease re The game ends when one of the players

reaches 20 VP. If both players reach this numberat the same time, the one who controls the mostprimary landing pads wins. If both players controlthe same number of landing pads, the game goeson. The first player to control more pads than hisopponent wins.

If neither of the two players can win any more VP, victory goes to the player who accumulatedthe most.

A player cannot score more than 20 VP for thismission. If a player resigns his opponent automati-cally wins the maximum number of points.

STORY MODE

If the attacker is victori-ous he captures the spa-ceport. It becomes easierfor him to call in reinforce-ments. He earns an extra50 RP during each controlphase for the rest of phase1 or benefits from the Re-inforcement! rule onceagain if he had lost this ad-vantage.

If the defender is de-feated he loses the controlof the spaceport. He losesboth the benefit of the Re-inforcement! rule and theadvantage won during theprevious mission.

In any other case noth-ing changes.


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Level 0 of the factory world is riddled with access points tothe inner levels. Each one of them is a major goal of the cur-

rent battles taking place on Damocles. The Therians use themto deploy troops, the U.N.A. need them to infiltrate Damocles,the Red Blok troops follow the shafts to reach the nerve cen-ters of the factory world and the Karmans search for their cap-tured comrades.

Unfortunately, many access points were locked during theEMI grid blackout and have never opened again. So whenever

a new access point is spotted, companies rush in to be thefirst to take control of it. These access points are so important

it can be the case that companies from the same army will

fight over them. Some commanders, consumed by ambitionor following their factions secret agenda, are willing to capturethese objectives at all costs, even if it means spilling the blood of compatriots.

Alls fair in love and war

Forces availableEach player has the same number of A.P. to build his com-

pany.

Tact ical posi tionsSee the map.

Primary objectives Controlling a major access: 5 VP Controlling a minor access: 2 VP

Secondary objectives Capturing a Nanogenerator: 50 RP Controlling a Nanogenerator: 100 RP

PRIORITY MISSION 2FIRE IN THE HOLE!


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Special rules This mission uses al l the special rules for Operation Damo-

cles detailed in the New rules sections of the campaign rulesand of Phase 1.

Only the soldiers located directly on a major access are tak-en into account to determine who controls it. For minor accesspoints control rules apply as usual.

Cease re The game ends when one of the players reaches 20 VP. If

both players reach this number at the same time, the one whocontrols the most access points wins. If both players controlthe same number of access points, the game goes on. The

first player to control more access points than his opponentwins.

If neither of the two players can win any more VP, victorygoes to the player who accumulated the most.

A player cannot score more than 20 VP for this mission. If aplayer resigns his opponent automatically wins the maximumnumber of points.

Player As access zone

Player Bs access zone

Drop point X-Ray

Drop point Zebra

Major access

Minor access

Container (x 2)

Nanogenerator (x 4)

Low wall (x 12)


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Damocles isnt called the factory world for nothing. Its sur-face is covered with gigantic factories sometimes as big as hu-

man cities. These factories were meant to ensure the survival of the passengers on Damocles and the replacement of thedoom machines on Ava. However, they have been reconfig-ured to produce combat systems, industrial materiel and even

high-tech electronic components. Now they can assemble almost anything, including human weapons!

These factories also have central consoles, which control the production lines. In the chaotic context of Operation Da-

mocles, these consoles have become crucial objectives!In fact, all the armies present on Damocles have the same

supply issues. The U.N.A. and the Red Blok are far from their worlds and the Therians have themselves been having logisti-

cal problems since the collapse of the EMI grid. Controlling afactory has become such an essential advantage that compa-

nies are ready to kill each other for the weapons and ammothey so desperately need!


pany.

Tact ical posi tionsSee the map.

Primary objectives Controlling the console: 10 VP

Secondary objectives Capturing a Nanogenerator: 50 RP Controlling a Nanogenerator: 100 RP Capturing a container*: 100 RP Controlling a container*: 150 RP Capturing the console: 100 RP Controlling the console: 200 RP* Attacker only.

Special rules This mission uses all the special rules for Operation Damo-


The factorys control console is represented on the bat tle-field by two nanogenerators standing side by side, constitutinga single objective. Controlling this console allows the player tocontrol both nanogenerators that make up the console.

Cease re The game ends when one of the players reaches 20 VP. A player cannot score more than 20 VP for this mission. If a

player resigns his opponent automatically wins the maximumnumber of points.

PRIORITY MISSION 3HOLDING THE PRODUCTION LINE


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STORY MODE

The company that controls the factory can mass-pro-duce weapons and ammo. For the whole of Phase 1, theplayer can equip one unit with grenades or nanostormsfor free (if this equipment is part of the units optionalequipment).

If a company wins this mission several times, it canequip several units with grenades or nanostorms.

Player As access zone

Player Bs access zone

Neutral access zone

Console (2 nanogenerators)

Container (x 2)

Two stacked containers (x 2)

Nanogenerator (x 2)

Low wall (x 12)


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The situation at level -1 is not stable enough for a company to secure a base down there. Even the Therian overseers do

not feel at home there anymore, since the EMI grid started tofail them. Sooner or later, companies are forced to come back up. Tired and short on ammo, they are easy targets as they

resurface. Besides, they often carry crucial information. Two good reasons to ambush them!

Reinforcements are always at hand to either rescue or at-tack a company coming back up from the inner levels.

Some faithless commanders choose to attack a company

on their own side instead of rescuing it. This way they canclaim the information gathered from below as their own or eliminate an enemy faction.

In any case, for a unit coming back from level -1, gettingthrough is a matter of life or death!


pany. The company returning from level -1 is the attacker. The

company ambushing them is the defender.

For this mission, the attacker has only access to half of his A.P. to recruit his assault units. The other half will be used forhis reinforcement units.

Attackers access hatch

Attackers reinforcement access zone

Defenders access zone

Container (x 1)

Container with two low walls on top (x 1)

Nanogenerator (x 2)

Low wall (x 10)

PRIORITY MISSION 4BACK TO SQUARE ONE


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Tact ical positions The attacker has two particular access zones.

All his assault units enter the battlefield through thefirst, the access hatch, and begin their activationwith a movement. The second access zone canonly be used to call in reinforcements. I t cannot becontrolled by the opponent.

Primary objectivesDuring this mission, the attacker and the de-

fender earn VP differently:

Attacker: For each unit of soldiers evacuated: 5 VPOnly the soldier units from the assault group

count for this objective. In order to count as evac-uated, a units leader must leave the battlefieldthrough the reinforcement access zone.

Defender:

At the end of each round: 2 VP For each unit of soldiers of the opponents as-

sault group eliminated: 1 VP

Secondary objectives Capturing a Nanogenerator: 50 RP * Controlling a Nanogenerator: 100 RP Capturing a container: 100 RP * Controlling a container: 150 RP

* Attacker only.

Special rules This mission uses all the special rules for Operation Damo-


The attacker can hasten the arrival of his reinforcements byspending LP at any time during his turn. Each LP spent this wayearns the player 100 RP. These RP are spent as usual duringthe control phase. A fighter cannot end his movement or beplaced on the access hatch. If the access hatch is surroundedand a unit from the attacking company tries to get out, check if all the fighters of the unit can be placed on the battlefield. If is it not possible then the active player has a choice: either he

chooses not to activate the unit and it remains in reserve, or hedoes choose to activate it, sacrificing any fighters that cannotbe placed.

The attackers reinforcements enter through the dedicatedaccess zone. However, any assault unit kept in reserve willenter using the attackers access hatch.

Cease re This mission ends when all the soldiers from the attackers

assault group have been eliminated or evacuated.When the game ends, each player counts his VP, the player

who has the most wins.


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OPERATION DAMOCLES :

Phase 2Operation Damocles has entered a new phase. After fierce

combat and terrible losses, the White Stars of the U.N.A. andthe Revolutionary forces of the Red Blok have managed topierce the industrial shell of the factory world and are nowinvading level -1: the mechanical maze. Following them, theKarmans continue to sneak into Damocles, striking every-thing they cannot avoid. For all the other armies, Karmansare an enigma, a lethal enigma!

The objective is to reach level -2, the Therian habitat.Phase 2 has begun!


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The second level of Damocles is full of deadly surprises, evenfor the Therians. Shaken by combat, Damocles seems to bewaking up. Strange phenomena are taking place, adding to thechaos of battle and tearing even the best planned strategies topieces.

BABEL

At the heart of the forums of Damocles, Babel has awake-ned: a force, a conscience capable of taking control of themachines of the factory world, despite all the efforts made bythe overseers. Some Therians have been found in a vegetativestate, their minds formatted and their memory back-up filesdeleted. Even their precious immortality, which project Hy-

perlife (see Army Book: Therians ) intends to prolong eternally,cannot protect them from such a grim threat. War is about tospread to the EMI grid itself.

In the meantime, out in the real world, Therian defenses havegiven way in several places and the invaders have penetratedto the second level. The Therians have tried to make this areaan invincible rampart by reconfiguring the corridors; closingaccesses and setting up ambushes wherever possible. Onceagain Babel has upset their plans: she has taken control of large portions of Damocles and transformed them into deadzones, unresponsive to Therian instructions.

The White Stars and the Red Blok have begun their des-cent by blasting accesses with the help of their field engineersand antitank weapons, quickly followed by small bands of Karmans. The armored fighting vehicles have forced their waythrough, closely followed by swarms of infantry units, as soonas the Therian defense began to give in. For several days theinvaders believed that the factory worlds defenses had beendefeated and that victory was at hand. However, no plan everreally comes together and reality put a brutal end to their illu-sions as the Therians finally reorganized...

The dead zones of Damocles

Large zones have fallen under the control of Babel. To boththe Therians and the Avans, these areas are dead. Machinesdo not always work, strange phenomena occur and deadly

traps will finish off the careless explorer.Since Avans, Therians and Karmans fight as equals there,

these zones are the objectives of some violent battles. The Avans and Karmans need them to establish bridgeheads outof reach of Therian counter-offensives. The Therians want toregain control of their factory world and therefore need to con-quer these zones to re-boot the local networks.

Any strategy at this level is based on a single major objec-tive: the nodes. These connection hubs grant priority accessto the local network, allowing physical control of the zone.Whoever controls the nodes can impose their will on Babel toa certain degree.

DAMOCLES LAIDWASTE BY WAR!


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There is an additional and hidden issue that couldchange the fate of the war: whoever controls thedead zones of Damocles might be able to unders-tand what is happening on Damocles and close adeal with this entity, whose potential seems unlimi-ted. Once again, the nodes are crucial objectivessince they can be used to communicate with Babel.

However, this is not an easy task to undertake. Taking war into the chaos of the dead zones revealsseveral difficulties. First of all, movement in theseareas is pretty hazardous. Doors remain closed wi-thout the intervention of an overseer or a mechanic.Even then, it is not always easy to use these doors,since the openings keep moving around, appea-ring and disappearing without any obvious reason.Sometimes they even open onto blank walls... Nomatter what the Avans keep saying, the organiza-tion and the mutations of Damocles used to followa certain form of logic. With the reign of Babel, thislogic has disappeared and has been replaced by

chaos, madness and death. Yet these phenomena,though disturbing, are not that dangerous compa-red to the others.

Babel is still testing her abilities and exploring herlimits. She has not quite understood what physical reality is.

After all, she is only a virtual and disincarnated consciousness,born from the EMI grid. No wonder she has problems graspingthe concept of a physical body.

As she at tempts to understand the world, Babel generatesswarms of nanomachines that take the form of strange black monoliths that the Therians and Avans have called nanoper-turbations, since they do not know what it is. Woe to him whosteps too close! To satisfy her curiosity, Babel has ordered herinfinitesimal servants to deconstruct anything that comes wi-thin their reach. These nanoperturbations hover around at ran-dom and their sole purpose is to help Babel understand what abody is and how it is assembled. When one of these monolithstouches an obstacle, billions of nanomachines shoot out andreduce it to its simplest components. So nanoperturbations willeat away low walls, soldiers and armored fighting vehicles wi-thout discrimination, and then send the data collected to theirmistress. The Therians sometimes manage to divert these datatransmissions and reconstitute the destroyed systems. But for

the Avans, of course, nothing can be done...

Babel and friends?

Two actors of the war wish to establish contact with Babeland negotiate an alliance with her. Among the Therians, theappearance of this digital consciousness has delighted theWeb Striders. The latter have tried several times to communi-cate with the prodigious entity to study its nature and its mo-tivations. Everything they have tried so far has had no effect.Babel is still too young to understand the questions asked bythe Web Striders, who are convinced they are dealing with anomniscient, almost divine being.

The Therians are not the only ones interested in Babel. TheU.N.A., and more specifically the M.Ind, are paying close at-tention to the phenomena that seem to keep thwarting the

Therians plan. In contrast to the lat ter, stuck in their millenniaold understanding of technology, the M.Ind has excluded nohypothesis and has a fresh approach of the issue. U.N. scien-tists have begun to make out the existence of an alien moti-vation behind these disturbances and they hope to establisha dialogue, hoping to collect some precious information. Forthe M.Ind, victory against the Therians is not a priority objec-tive. Above anything else, the M.Ind hopes to get hold of anyscientific data available that will allow it to master Therian na-notechnology.

The Red Blok

The Red Blok has only one objective: the destruction of Da-mocles.

With this in mind, the Revolutionary forces do not intendto accept an alliance with anyone. In their eyes, the U.N.A.are not any better than the Therians: both wish to preserveDamocles for their own use. The revolutionary objectives are

the exact opposite. This means any form of negotiation is im-possible and all that counts is strength of arms. In the chaosof Damocles, this strategy, as simple as it may look, seems tobe paying off.

E-Karma

The Karmans have heard the rumors. The concept of spon-taneously spawned artificial intelligence is quite puzzling tothem. Is Babel more than just an event? Does she have anexistence beyond this branch on the tree of possibilities?Could she be considered as a link in evolution? In a nutshell,does she have a Karma? This calls for investigation.


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IN THE MECHANICAL MAZE

Control of level -1 will give the winner direct access to thetwo adjacent levels: first the surface (level 0), from where the

Therians could control the invasion of their world, but also tothe Therian habitation quarters (level -2), whose loss would bea fatal blow to the Therians... This level hides a lot of technolo-gical resources that interest everyone!

The following rules apply only to Phase 2 of Operation Da-mocles.

New rules

The cards representing a door, a nanoperturbation and anode are used in this phase.

Doors

The Therians themselves do not need doors. They simplyneed to deconstruct a wall section to travel freely inside theirinstallations. Nevertheless, they still need to plan sectors wheretheir machines, which do not manipulate nanotechnology, willcirculate. When the Avans invade these sectors the overseerslock these doors to slow down the enemy.

As long as it is closed, a door cannot be crossed and itblocks lines of sight.

A door can be opened and closed by a mechanic who useshis Repair ability or by an overseer who uses an open/closeroutine (1 LP). In both cases, the fighter must be in contactwith the door.

A door can also be destroyed:

Protection: 12 Structure points: 1

NanoperturbationsSince the rise of Babel, clouds

of nanomachines have beenemerging throughout Damocles,devouring anything that comeswithin reach. These swarmingblack monoliths have becomethe nightmare of Avan troops,but also of Therian troops. It isimpossible to pass through ananoperturbation, which alsoblocks lines of sight. At the be-ginning of the game its card isplaced as indicated on the map.

At the end of each control phase the nanoperturbation ismoved. The youngest player places the template above it. Herolls one die to find out the direction in which the nanoper-turbation moves. He then rolls two dice and adds them: theresult is how far in cm (10 cm maximum) the nanoperturbationmoves.

Once this movement completed, the fighters and any terrainelements with Structure points that physically touch the cardsuffer one impact each (Penetration/Damage). The fightersthat survive are moved out of the way. If this is not possiblethey are eliminated. When terrain is touched but not destroyed,the card is then placed as close as possible to the obstacle.If the nanoperturbation needs to be repositioned it may notcover further fighters The nanoperturbation ignores cover andmoves through walls.

If the node is activated (any player controlling a node maydecide to activate it or deactivate it at any time), Therian figh-ters eliminated by a nanoperturbation are placed on the node.If there isnt enough room on the node card, the fighters thatdo not fit inside the card are eliminated, lost in the back log.Depending on the mission, the owner might be allowed tobring the fighters placed on the card back into the game.

Therian Nodes The EMI grid is a large network

spread across the universe. Al-though the Therians live a virtualand dematerialized life it still re-quires physical existence. Thesurface of Damocles is riddledwith hyperlink antennas; the en-

trails of the factory world shelterthe nodes. These extremely com-plex machines link the variousinformation networks running allover Damocles. They also con-nect these networks to hyperlink antennas, in order to keep Damocles in contact with the rest of

Therian civilization. Finally, they also channel transmissions andregulate them over large portions of the factory world.

The most important nodes constitute primary and secon-dary objectives. Their effects are detailed in the mission brie-fings.


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Not so long ago, level -1 of Damocles was hell to the Avans.Yet since the rise of Babel, the Therians are now confronted withthe same hazards. Level -1 is a polymorphic labyrinth, whosecorridors and rooms are constantly being rearranged. Everyone

gets the same treatment here. Units get lost, isolated soldiersvanish, leaving only the echo of their shrieks of terror...

There are many stories about entire companies that got lost in these underground corridors, wandering for hours, or dayseven. Battles have even been interrupted by the sudden ap-

pearance of a wall between the sides. The opposite is alsotrue: when two lost companies bump into each other, the fi-

ghting generally is as deadly as the meeting was unexpected

Documents

operation damocles campaign